Sony is changing its focus to Live Service games, which is a departure from its usual style of creating narrative-driven games that focus on a single-player campaign. This shift in direction could significantly impact the company’s future direction.

Sony Live Service: What to expect?

It has been reported that Sony plans to make a significant investment before the end of the 2024 fiscal year. According to a Nikkei report, the company intends to allocate $2.13 billion towards gaming research and development.

The report reveals that Sony plans to devote a whopping 60% of all PlayStation 5 development budget towards exclusive live service games for the fiscal year ending March 2026. The company also aims to add at least twelve live service games to the PlayStation roster within this timeframe.

Sony Group also aims to enter the metaverse in a big way. They plan to explore the realm of ‘extended reality’ and utilize their global studios to drive research and development in this field.

For a long time, Sony’s PlayStation has been a powerhouse for striking single-player exclusives, which have seen global success. However, these games encountered sustainability issues if sequels didn’t follow. Perhaps this could be the reason behind Sony’s 2022 acquisition of Bungie for $3.7 billion to reach new game players.

What are Live Service Games?

Games known as Live Service are designed to retain players’ attention for as long as possible. These games are typically free-to-play online and receive frequent updates to provide players with new content and keep them engaged. The objective is to entice players to purchase in-game currencies or cosmetic items. Examples of these games include Destiny 2 and Valorant, which have distinct monetization models. Destiny 2 mainly sells expansion packs that allow players to experience new stories and earn more loot, while Valorant offers weapon skins.